Disturbed
by phoenix shotgun 47
Summary: Sydney and Vaughn are happily married and expecting a child. But something happens that turns both or their worlds upside down. Cowritten with apofieldagentnadiasantos over at AllAlias.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Arvin Sloane and Nadia Santos stood together silently on the beach, watching the sun go down over the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. All was quiet and the sounds of the ocean calmed the two agents, leading them to temporarily forget their troubled pasts and dream about what the future could bring. She was wearing a dress she had bought especially for this night. It was a simple beach dress and perfect for this night. He was dressed in a tux and a navy blue tie. They were standing close to each other, enjoying the feeling of finally being a family. Finally, for once in their lives, everything was ok.

The silence and peace of the night was broken when several gun shots ran out. Sloane slid slowly to the ground, blood pouring out of sever wounds in his back. Nadia jumped back in horror, the wind picking up her hair and throwing it back over her shoulders. Tears quickly blinded her vision as she reached for her gun. Suddenly, she felt a searing pain in her back and fell to the ground, beside her dying father. She tried to fight the darkness that was tugging at her vision, but the pain was too great and her head flopped backwards.

"NADIA!" Sydney screamed. She ran as fast as her 8 month pregnant belly would allow her.

Vaughn pulled out his gun, his eyes scanning the beach for any sign of the shooter. But the assassin was long gone. He reached the pair first, pulling out his phone and calling for an ambulance. Sloane and Nadia lay motionless, the scarlet blood glistening in the moonlight. Sydney felt like she was going to be sick as saw just how much blood tainted the soft sand beneath her feet. She haphazardly fell to her feet, tears falling from her cheeks. She shook her sister gently, attempting to wake her.

"Nadia, please Nadia, wake up for me." She pleaded desperately, kissing her sister softly on the forehead, trying hard to suppress the sobs that threatened to escape her throat.

She glanced up in relief as she heard the wailing sounds of an ambulance come to nearby. The paramedics came racing down the beach, loaded them onto stretcher, and then ran off with them. Sydney and Vaughn immediately recognized the APO ambulances and medical personnel because of the emblems on their jackets, a small symbol to let anyone who had the privileged to know that they were special. They hurried to their own car, intent on getting to APO as fast as possible.

"She'll be okay Syd." Vaughn said, taking one of his hands and running it gently through her hair and then caressing her face soothingly. She grabbed onto his hand tightly, clinging onto it. They pulled into the train station and Vaughn helped Sydney onto the train where they took a line down to where they sauntered down to a door which read AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. Vaughn swiped his keycard and the pair entered the small chamber. They quickly pulled a series of levers before the doors opened up and they stepped into APO.

"Dude! Jack's pissed, he's been waiting for you guys!" Weiss said, running over to meet them. "Nadia's going to be fine, just went into surgery, but they said she was stable."

"Why is Jack pissed now?" Vaughn asked. As far as he knew, he'd done nothing wrong, except for marrying Sydney, but that was a long time ago.

"We-erm-Marshall found out who did it." He said. "Come on." Sydney and Vaughn shared a worried glance and headed down the tunnel that had been built into APO for adjusting your eyes to the bright to the lights. Jack was waiting for them, standing at the entrance to the conference room.

"It's a women, a women we all know, in fact, some are rather familiar with her." Jack said. The glance that Vaughn received from him wasn't very reassuring. He flipped a switch and her face came blown up on the screen. Vaughn felt his jaw drop in pure shock.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two 

_"It's a women, a women we all know, in fact, some are rather...familiar with her." Jack said. The glance that Vaughn received from him wasn't very reassuring. He flipped a switch and her face came blown up on the screen. Vaughn felt his jaw drop in pure shock.  
_

"I… I killed her…" Vaughn whispered, never tearing his eyes off the screen. 

"Obviously, Agent Vaughn, you didn't do a very good job." Jack shot back. 

The emotions that coursed threw Vaughn's body left him confused as he stared at the all too familiar face. At first he felt hatred, disgust, anger and confusion. Those emotions were expected. What he wasn't prepared for was the lust and longing that overtook his body. He glanced away briefly, afraid of the emotions that he had been feeling. His gaze fell upon his Sydney. Her hand lay on her belly, protecting their unborn child. Their eyes met and she knew that there was something wrong. He looked away, afraid that she would discover the truth. 

After his breathing had slowed, he finally looked back at his ex-wife's picture. 

Lauren Reed's hazel eyes met his. Her blond hair was haphazardly pulled up in a ponytail. It had been a little over a year since Vaughn had seen her face and he was taken aback by how breath taking she was. 

"No, you need to stop thinking like this." He thought, cursing himself. How could that woman have this sort of effect on him, after everything she had done? She had lied and betrayed him and yet he felt something for her. Was is love? No. It couldn't be that. He refused to love a woman like Lauren Reed. 

Jack cleared his throat, pulling him out of his thoughts. 

"We were able to pull this surveillance footage off a camera Sloane had hidden in one of the lamp posts near the shooting." Jack said. 

"Paranoid creep." Weiss whispered to Vaughn, trying to lighten up the mood. His efforts failed and the gloomy mood remained in the conference room. Vaughn ran his hands through his hair as they all watched the footage. 

Everyone watched silently as Sloane and Nadia walked slowly along the beach. They stopped and for a few moments everything was peaceful. Then a figure dressed in all black crawled closer to the pair, hiding behind a large tree. The woman looked around, her blond hair swishing with the motion. They were able to get a good look at her face. It was definitely Lauren Reed. She pulled out a gun, took aim, and fired half a dozen bullets at Sloane. She moved her hand slightly to the right and shot at Nadia. Before Nadia had even hit the ground, Lauren took off running. 

Jack pressed another button and the video stopped. 

"At the moment we have no idea where Lauren went, who she's working for, and how the hell she's still alive." Jack said. "Marshall was able to pull footage of her flying into L.A. in a disguise and under and alias." 

"Jack… uh… sir… I was wondering, you know… how are Sloane and Nadia? I mean… are they ok?" Marshall interrupted. 

Jack sighed. "Nadia is in surgery. From a preliminary look, she looks stable. Sloane… wasn't as lucky. He died about 5 minutes before Sydney and Vaughn got here." 

"Now the only question is whether that's a good or bad thing." Weiss muttered. 

Jack turned and glared at him. "At the moment, it's a very bad thing. Despite his past, Sloane had many contacts that we could have used to find Lauren. Those assets are now lost." 

Jack continued to talk and tasked each of the agents before dismissing them.

"Agent Vaughn, my office." Jack said, walking out of the room. 

Vaughn got up and followed him. 

Jack waited to speak until the doors closed behind him. 

"I will tell you the same thing I told you back then; you need to be the one to kill Lauren." Jack said, coldly. "I saw the expression on your face when you saw her picture. A part of you still cares about her. And that cannot be allowed. Not when you're married to my daughter. You know where my bunker is. Go there and take whatever you need. I've grown to tolerate you, Agent Vaughn. I'm beginning to think that you aren't as worthless as I thought. Don't make me have to change that assessment." 

Vaughn nodded and slowly walked out of Jack's office. 

He sat back down at his desk and put his head in his hands, trying to sort out his thoughts. 

Sydney walked over to him and sat down in the empty chair. She took one of his hands and held it lovingly in hers. 

"How are you holding up?" She asked quietly. 

"Honestly Syd… I don't know… I just never expected to see her again… I just… I don't know." Vaughn said honestly. 

Sydney watched him a little longer, not knowing what to say. It wasn't everyday your husband's ex-wife comes back to life. She stood up. "You know that you can talk to me ok." She said, kissing him quickly before waddling to her desk. 

Watching Sydney waddle to her desk made Vaughn smile. He wanted to laugh. He felt so stupid, thinking that he had feelings for Lauren when he had such an amazing person like Sydney in his life.

No, there was no way he was letting Lauren Reed come between him and Sydney ever again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Vaughn sighed and rolled over onto his stomach, where he could better observe his wife. He gently ran his fingers through her hair and tried to fall asleep. As the minutes ticked by, sleep kept eluding him, so he finally got up to run. He grabbed his keys and leaned down to kiss Sydney goodbye.

"What is it?" She asked sleepily.

"I'm going running." He said. "See you later."

"Why?" She asked bewildered.

"I'll see you later." He said, avoiding her question and pressed a kiss into her silky brown hair before walked out the door. He pushed the car quickly to the corner, making sure that Sydney couldn't hear him, and then sped off towards the address that Jack had given him. He rolled up the garage like door and was confronted with a surplus of army supplies. Vaughn felt his heart give a little jump of shock and astonishment. Sure he'd been here before, but seeing it all again, knowing that he was going to have to face his ex-wife in a few short hours sent shivers up his spine. He gazed around, shutting the door behind him, and walked over to a wall of the latest military specs. He tucked two knives into his waistband and an extra gun, then attached one to his leg and one up his sleeve. He hastily locked the door behind him and with his tires squealing, hurried to the place where Lauren Reed was staying.

He glanced around the lobby, but it was deserted. There was no sound except for the soft snoring of the sleeping concierge. He found the entrance for the stairs and started the journey upwards. He stopped on the 4th floor and then walked down the hall to number 47. He knocked and glanced around to make sure no one was anywhere close.

He heard the scrape of the lock being drawn and he cocked the weapon behind his back. She opened the door and gasped in shock, taking several steps back, her knees bending slightly.

"Come out here, with your hands up in the air." He growled in a low voice.

"You know that's not what you want." She said coyly, getting her courage back after the initial shock of seeing her ex-husband.

"Shut up and get out here!" He hissed, trying not to raise his voice to high.

"Come in and we'll talk." She said pleadingly. He hesitated and lowered the gun a little, still keeping it at ready. He was ready to kill her if she even blinked too many times. He was ready to kill her without conscience. This woman needed to be stopped. He soothed his nerves internally and took a deep breath. "Please Michael." Her voice was so calming. He found himself lost in her voice, mesmorized, and walked over to her.

"God, you are beautiful woman." He said, smelling the scent of her hair that was lavender and vanilla together. He was drawn to her. His hand reached up and caressed her face, one that he hadn't seen in what seemed like a lifetime. She was just so intoxicating and he couldn't resist her. He leaned down and their lips met in a passionate kiss. They carefully made their way to the bed where their clothes were quickly thrown haphazardly around the room and their desire extinguished quickly. "You always were good at that." He said, sighing, his fingers tracing circles on her bare back.

"It's been 15 minutes, shouldn't you be going?" Lauren asked, sounding concerned for once.

"I don't want to go." He whined slightly. He wanted to stay with the best creation God had ever come-NO NO NO-Sydney, Oh my God, he'd betrayed the women he loved, his wife, and soon to be mother of his child. He scrambled around the room pulling on his clothes and hurried out of the room, not glancing back once to see where Lauren was.

-----

A women clad in all black sat in another room, watching the young lovers. She smirked and checked the recording again, making sure she was had gotten a clear view of their faces along with the sounds they were emitting.

-----

Vaughn pushed the car exactly where it had been before and undressed quickly; slipping in bed next to Sydney dressed only in his boxers. He hugged her and felt a solitary tear making its way into her hair and disappearing. He laid awake the rest of the night. He couldn't believe what he had just done, it was horrible. He was disgusted by his actions. How could he have tarnished such a wonderful and perfect thing like his marriage to Sydney? He swore over and over in his mind it wouldn't ever happen again. He swore it. He stroked Sydney's hair and watched as the sun slowly drenched their room in light. He jumped slightly at the alarm, but felt Sydney start to move and he got up too. She sauntered into the bathroom to take a shower where Vaughn joined her, feeling dirty and unclean. He felt so guilty looking at her. He knew that he wasn't good enough for her. He knew that Sydney would never betray him like he had just betrayed her.

"Vaughn?" Sydney asked. Vaughn looked down at her.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned, panicking, maybe she had heard him or maybe she noticed.

"I love you, that's all." She said, giving him a dimpled smile. "You're going to be a good father." She said and opened the door to get out. Vaughn felt his heart break at that. He started to call her back, but restrained and let another tear make its way down his cheek as he tried to forget that anything had ever happened.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The next few days were hell for Michael Vaughn. Everywhere he looked he was reminded of Lauren and of what he did. She wouldn't leave him. He could barely look at Sydney without breaking down and hardly spoke a word to her. Sydney was growing more suspicious by the day. Finally she confronted him.

"Michael, what's going on?" She asked quietly over breakfast.

"Nothing." He mumbled, not even looking up. He pushed around a piece of bacon, dreading what was going to happen next.

"Don't tell me that nothing is going on. Something is happening Michael. You won't even look at me." Sydney said, raising her voice, frustrated. When he didn't speak she added softly. "Don't push me away."

Michael slowly took his eyes off of the scrambled eggs and met his wife's intense gaze. "I just… I… I don't know… I don't know if I'll make a good father." He lied quietly. He held his breath, hoping that Sydney would buy his lie. She could usually tell whenever he wasn't telling the truth. But this time, her expression softened. She got up and moved closer to him, laying her arm gently on his shoulder.

"You're going to be an amazing father." Sydney said softly. "You don't have anything to worry about Michael. You're the one that had a great father in your life as a role model. I don't know if I can be a mom… it's not like I can look to my mother for advice on being a good parent." She said the last part bitterly.

"Syd, don't think like that." Vaughn said. "It doesn't matter who your mother was or what your mother did… what matters is you. And you're going to be an amazing mother."

"How do you always know exactly what to say?" She asked, kissing him, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "But you do want this right?" She asked, her expression becoming more serious.

"The truth?" Vaughn asked, looking up into her eyes.

"Of course."

"What we do, the things we see everyday… honestly… I thought we'd wait until things were safe… or at least safer… maybe when we weren't with the agency anymore… but looking at you… all I can think about is what our kid is going to be like… and I'm not worried about the world… I just can't wait to meet this new little person."

"Really?"

"Yeah… it's pretty great, right." Michael said, a real smile gracing his face.

Sydney's smile grew wider and he could see her adorable dimples. He leaned over and kissed her gently. They kissed for a few more minutes before the doorbell interrupted them. "That's probably Nadia. I better go." She said, pulling away slowly.

"Ok." Vaughn nodded, standing up. "I'll clean up here. Have a fun time shopping." He said, kissing her once more.

"I will." She said, opening the door and greeting Nadia.

"And don't spend all of our money." Michael shouted, walking to the door as well. "Hey Nadia."

"Hey Vaughn." Nadia said with a smile.

"Michael, am I the type of person that would do something like that?" Sydney asked, putting her hands on her hips, acting insulted by his words.

"Yes." Michael said with a laugh. "Who was the one that spent all that money getting a customized 5 foot tall giraffe from France??"

"Hey, I have a right to spoil our child." Sydney pouted. "Besides, it was _only_ $1,000"

"Yeah, no kid needs a stuffed giraffe that's worth a thousand dollars." Vaughn retorted playfully.

"Yeah, yeah, ok maybe I went a _little_ bit overboard with that… but honestly… that was the day I was craving those spicy cheetos with peanut butter… it wasn't my fault… it was the peanut butter's." Sydney said seriously.

Vaughn let out another laugh. "Don't even remind me of that day." He had gone out to the store at around 9 in the evening and brought home a large bag of spicy cheetos and a large jar of peanut butter. He had watched Sydney dip the cheetos in the peanut butter until midnight, when she had finished the whole thing.

"Can't blame a girl for her cravings." She said, shrugging.

"Ok, ok." Michael said, smiling. "Just make sure this one doesn't get out of hand." He said to Nadia, gently nudging his wife, laughing slightly at her indignant face.

"I'll try. But you and I both know that she can still kick my butt." Nadia said.

"Exactly… so let's stop talking and get to the shopping." Sydney kissed Michael one last time. "Bye honey." Then Nadia and her were out the door and headed to the mall.

After he had finished washing the dishes, Michael went into the living room to watch some hockey. He let out a relieved sigh. Things were finally starting to get back to normal between him and Sydney.

Then the phone rang.

He didn't recognize the number but picked it up anyway.

"Hello?"

"Michael?" Her voice whispered into the phone.

"What the hell are you doing, calling my house?!" Michael shouted angrily.

"Michael… this is important…" Lauren said. She actually sounded scared. Michael's heart rate started increasing. "Someone knows."

"What?" He felt his heart stop.

"Someone has a tape." Lauren said.

Michael felt like his life had been once again destroyed. Someone has a tape of him and Lauren… oh god, what if Sydney found out?

"How? Who?" He asked, sitting down on the couch, feeling dizzy.

"I don't… I don't know… but they want to talk to you." Lauren said.

"What do they want?" He asked.

"I'm not sure and even if I knew, I wouldn't be able to say. It's not safe. Meet me at the last place we were together." She said quickly. Before he could protest, she hung up.

He wrote a note for Sydney, telling her that he went to the rink to skate around, grabbed his keys, and ran to his car. He sped through downtown L.A. before finally reaching the old hotel. As he parked his car, a flood of sounds, sights, and smells invaded his mind, reminding him of what had happened when he was last here. He felt like he wanted to vomit as the memories came rushing back.

Then another thought hit him. Was this a trap? He was so worried about Sydney finding out that he hadn't even considered this being a set up. Did Lauren just want him here so she could seduce him again? But the bigger question was; did he have the ability to resist her?

It took him a few moments to clear his mind and calm himself before he stepped out of the car. He walked slowly up to the fourth floor. He stopped right outside her door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

The door opened slowly and Lauren pulled him in, glancing around carefully before closing the door. Her face was pale and she looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. She led him silently into the bed room.

One lone figure was waiting for them in the corner of the dark hotel room.

"Hello Mr. Vaughn."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Vaughn felt his jaw drop. He had never considered the possibility that she would ever a problem again. Kelly Peyton.

"What the..." His voice trailed off as he whipped his head frantically around the room, hoping against hope that this was a joke. He never ever expected that something like this would happen.

"I need something from you, Mr. Vaughn." She said, sounding coy at being so smart at her own game. She climbed slowly off the bed. Vaughn started to reach for his gun that that was hidden in his jacket but she stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why not?" He snarled, taunting her, hoping she would take the bait and lose her cool. He felt Lauren shrink back slightly at his harsh tone; it was harsher than the one that he had used with her. He felt his hands clench into fists and he struggled to control his temper. He was having a hard time keeping his emotions under control lately. "What do you want?"

"Well, as I don't have anybody capable enough, no one with the right qualifications, I need you two fine agents to fetch me the items I need to do finish Rambaldi's prophecy." She said, her words flowing like silk, not even flinching or looking surprised at his tone. She simply smiled and walked slowly around the room, Vaughn and Lauren watching her progress.

"I'll do anything, but when we are done, no one knows who helped you and we get the tape, with any copies you made." Vaughn said, with a tone of finality. He had long ago given up on believing that anything that Rambaldi said was true, so he figured that no harm would be done.

"Deal." She smirked slightly. "You always wanted to keep your relationship so sweet and keep your wife from knowing your other side didn't you." She threw a cell phone down on the table. "This is yours. Ms. Reed, you will answer me at any time I call and then call Mr. Vaughn. No deviating from this plan or your wife will get a copy of this tape and as well as your superiors, Mrs. Reed. Yes, I know who you are working for." Peyton added, looking smug at the look of surprise and shock on her face.

"If you give them that tape, they will kill me and Michael." She said, sounding hoarse and shocked.

"I know, funny how that works." She gave them another one of her famous smiles and sauntered over to the door. It slammed shut behind her and the two left behind were shocked into silence. They just stared at the door where they had last seen her.

"Michael. I'm sorry." Lauren whispered. Michael turned his fierce glare on her.

"Do you really expect me to believe that." He spat. "Who do you work for?" He demanded.

"I work for a emerging group that is being set up like the Covenant." She said, almost cringing at the name.

"Fine. I'm going home." He really meant to go home too. He started home, but ended up going to the hockey arena, the place where he had told his wife he was going to be. At least he wouldn't lie about that. He pulled out the bag of gear he kept in his trunk all the time and went out on the ice. He was so fed up with all this business. Why hadn't he just resisted her? Why couldn't he have just killed her on sight? He sighed and plopped down on the bleachers. He went and showered, trying not to cry.

Vaughn entered into his empty house, as Sydney and Nadia weren't back yet. He warmed up some of the leftover mashed potatoes and steak and sat watching an old King's game. About 10:00 he heard the key scratching in the door. He made up his mind to tell her, get it over with. Tell her about everything and then it wouldn't matter if he did what Peyton said. He would be able to live with her.

"Hey!" She said, a dimpled smile lit up her face. She smiled and hugged Vaughn as best as she could with the bump in the middle of her belly.

"So, how much money did you spend?" He asked, teasing her, giving her a small nudge.

"Dunno, probably $7000." Vaughn felt his jaw drop, but he saw the mischievous twinkle in her eyes and pretended to pout.

The moment was ruined by the ringing of the telephone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: 

The moment was ruined by the ringing of the telephone. 

And it wasn't the house phone. 

Vaughn felt like hurling the cell phone that Peyton had given him out the window. He quickly went over to where he had carelessly left it on the table. 

"You got a new phone?" Sydney asked surprised and a bit suspicious. 

"Yeah… uh… I gotta take this." He said, kissing her on the forehead. "I'll be back soon and then you can tell me about all the wonderfully expensive things that you bought our child." He said, trying to lighten up the suddenly dark mood that had enveloped the room. 

He felt Sydney's eyes following him as he walked outside. 

"Hello?" He whispered, glancing back into the house tentatively. Sydney was sitting on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table, digging through one of her many shopping bags. 

"We've got our first assignment." Lauren said; sounding slightly frazzled. 

"Are you sure this phone is safe?" Michael hissed. The last thing he needed was the CIA hearing his conversation with a known terrorist. 

"Positive." Lauren said. "Listen carefully. Be at the hotel by 3 tomorrow morning. There will be someone waiting in a silver Honda. He'll take you to the plane; I'll explain the details there." Before he could respond, Lauren hung up. 

Vaughn slumped down into the nearby chair. Glancing back at his beautiful Sydney, he made a decision. He wasn't going to tell her. She had suffered enough; she didn't need to add his infidelity to the list of betrayals she had experienced. He was going to do whatever they wanted and make this nightmare go away. Sighing, he went back into the house, acting happy as Sydney showed him the toys she had bought for their child. 

An hour later, Sydney went to bed exhausted from shopping. 

Michael stayed awake, too worried about what he was doing to rest. Around 1:30, he snuck back into their bedroom. He stood in the doorway, observing his wife for a moment before grabbing the duffel bag that he always had ready in case of an emergency. 

He left a short note for Sydney on the counter, telling her that a contact of his had found a lead on Lauren's whereabouts, and that he was going to investigate. 

With a heavy heart, he drove to the now all too familiar hotel. After double backing a few times and stopping at the grocery store to throw off any pursuers, he pulled into the hotel's parking lot. 

The moonlight illuminated the car Lauren had sent for him, making it stand out in the night. He ran over and quickly slipped into the passenger's seat, praying to God that no one had seen him. 

After driving for an hour, the car stopped at a small, hidden air field. The man grunted and gestured for him to get out. 

Climbing out of the car, Michael grabbed his bag and walked quickly to the awaiting plane. 

Inside, Lauren was sitting, sipping some tea. 

"Want some?" She asked pleasantly. 

"Don't try to get civil with me. Just cut the crap and tell me what we're doing." Michael snapped. 

Lauren sighed and put the cup down. She tossed him a folder and motioned for him to sit down next to her. Instead, he took the seat across from her, vowing to stay as far away from this woman as possible 

"Peyton was able to locate a journal that we believe is Rambaldi's. She wants us to get it." Lauren said, passing him a photograph of a very tattered journal. "It's being kept at the house of Emilio Aguinaldo, the first Philippine president. We'll be attending the ball there. The document is on the 3rd floor of the house. I'll create a distraction and you'll go and get it." Lauren said simply. 

"That's the plan?" Michael asked in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me." He muttered. 

"What?" Lauren demanded. 

"We're going to get killed. It's too vague. We need backup plans." Michael said. "I've been doing this kind of thing a lot longer than you. I'll give you the plan." He said, beginning to describe what they were going to do. 

Finally, when Michael was satisfied, he walked to the back of the plane and tried to get some sleep. 

When they arrived in Manila, they took a jeepney to their hotel. Lauren had a short black wig on, large sunglasses, and a hat to help disguise her appearance. 

"Please don't tell me we only have one room." Michael whispered as they walked into the hotel lobby. 

"Relax, we have two." Lauren said, sounding slightly disappointed. 

"We've got an hour before we have to leave, you should get ready." Lauren said, slipping into her room. 

Michael nodded, and took a long shower. 30 minutes later, he put on his tux but was struggling with his bow tie when he heard her come in. She was wearing a short red strapless dress. 

"Let me get that." She said, reaching over and tying it expertly. "When we were married you always had trouble with these." She mumbled softly. 

"Do not ever refer to the time when I was stupid enough to be blinded by your lies and was married to you." Michael spat. Lauren backed away, looking hurt. 

"The car's waiting." She said before grabbing her purse and walking out the door. 

Michael took one last look in the mirror before he left to join her. 

The drive there was painfully silent and awkward. Michael made no attempt to socialize while Lauren tried to start a conversation. Finally Michael snapped. 

"Lauren, I am not here to talk about the weather or anything else. I am here for one purpose only and that is to protect Sydney." Michael said. 

"Do you really think that you're any better than me, Michael?" Lauren asked. "You're just as bad. Look where we are, look at what we're about to do. Don't treat me like a criminal when you're one too." She flung the door open and walked away. 

Michael slipped his comm. into his ear and waited a few seconds before following her. 

He walked up the first flight of steps into the main dining room. He glanced around, taking in the magnificent art work in the room. Then he noticed Lauren in the corner, sipping a glass of champagne. 

He turned his attention back to the mission. Quickly locating the stairs leading to the 3rd floor, he positioned himself near them, ready to move when Lauren created the distraction. 

"Shoot." Lauren muttered. 

"What?" Michael asked. 

"Jack's here." Lauren replied 

"We'll have to move fast then." Michael said. "I'm going for the artifact." 

Michael slipped out of the room and ran quickly up to the 3rd floor. 

"Michael, he's coming your way!" Lauren whispered. "I couldn't do anything without him identifying me." 

"Shoot." Michael muttered. His heart pounded as he heard the footsteps becoming louder, coming closer to him. He looked around frantically, looking for a way out. But there was none. There were no other doors, not even a window.

He felt his chest tighten as his breathing began to spiral out of control. He didn't have time to panic, he needed to focus on finding a way out. 

The floorboards by the door creaked slightly, warning Michael that his time was running out. The man who would destroy his life if he found out the truth was blocking off the only escape route in the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys, I'm SO SORRY that I haven't updated this in FOREVER. Anyways, this chapter was written by Nads. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Vaughn looked around frantically, trying to figure out where he could hide to be safe. He noticed a couple of wooden benches, lining the walls. He raced over to them, ran his fingers along the edges, and found that there were hinges. He put his palms against the curved edge of the bench and pushed hard. Ignoring the cloud of dust that sprang out, he threw the few objects that were inside into a nearby box. He dove in and slammed the lid shut, praying that these weren't the last minutes of his life. If Jack found him, he wouldn't ever bear another child.

He had just slammed the lid of the bench shut when he heard Jack speak. "Raptor to base, I'm going to secure the artifact." He held his breath, willing himself not to sneeze amidst all of the dust. "Affirmative." Vaughn heard the sounds of Jack picking up the artifact, but he knew he had to stop him. He prayed one final prayer and burst out as Jack turned his back to leave. He pulled the tranq from his waist and shoved the mask on his face. He shot Jack in the back. Before his father-in-law had a chance to react, he slipped to the ground, the artifact falling from his tight grasp at the last minute.

"Lauren, the artifact is secure." He whispered into this comm. as he walked calmly down the stairs, brushing off the coat dust that had collected on his suit.

"Sir, crab puff?" A polite young waiter asked him.

"No thanks." Vaughn replied. He spotted Lauren leaning nonchalantly against the door and rushed over to her. "Let's go." They claimed their coats and went back to the hotel.

Lauren went and ordered some tea while Vaughn showered. When he got back, he found Lauren curled up in a chair, drinking from a china cup and saucer. She offered another cup to him, but he shook his head, not wanting to drink anything she might have poisoned.

"Fine, but I'm not as horrible of a person as you think I am." She said, sounding hurt. "I have feelings you know, I have to eat, I have thoughts that aren't crude or world threatening, and I do feel love. Don't treat me like a bug, I do feel." She said, and slammed the cup down and it shattered into a million pieces. "I'm sorry for being human and making a few mistakes but I'm too deep into this to get out." She stalked off to her adjoining room and Vaughn just was bewildered. The door slammed between them and was quickly bolted, as if to keep him out, but it didn't matter, he was too stunned to do anything.

After a while he had the sense to go try making it up to her, because he had less than 25 minutes before he left. He knocked hesitantly.

"Leave me alone you man whore." She said.

"Look Lauren, I have to go soon, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I treated you like trash, but you used me, and you are going to have to understand that it is hard for me to ever trust you, and for me to have any sort of feelings towards you besides hate and resentment." Vaughn paused, taking a breath. "But we can't keep doing this. We're going to have to work together, whether we want to be here or not. "

"I'm sorry too, you're not a man whore, and I'm sorry about lying about who I was." She unlocked the door and gave him a brief hug.

"Thanks. I've got to fly." He said. He patted her shoulder and she nodded, motioning him towards the door.

Vaughn felt a small burden lifted from his shoulders as he walked out of the hotel room. At least now, he and Lauren could be more civil towards each other and focus on the mission.

Back in L.A.

Vaughn walked into the house, dropping his duffle bag onto the floor. He ran his fingers through his already rumpled hair. He saw Sydney sitting on the couch, staring intently at a picture of them on their wedding day.

"Oh thank god." She muttered, rushing over to him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I was worried you know." Sydney said, sounding hurt.

"Syd I was just meeting with a contact." Vaughn replied softly.

"I know. But I'm pregnant. And hormonal. It's my right to worry excessively." She said with a small laugh. "But, was the source any good?"

"Nope." Vaughn looked away from Sydney.

"Sorry." She kissed him. "You smell good."

He attempted a small smile. "I took a shower."

"Oh, okay." She gave him a hug, her growing belly in the way, and kissed him again. "I missed you." She whispered, placing a soft kiss on his jaw. Sighing, he threw his phone onto the counter, hoping that Peyton would give him a break.

"I missed you too baby." He whispered. "Why don't I take you out to dinner to make up for it?"

"You don't have to you know. You were doing your job." Sydney replied, a dimpled smile spreading across her face.

"I know." Vaughn said simply. He laid his arm around her shoulder and led her out of the house.

He treated Sydney to a dinner in one of the finest LA restaurants. Afterwards, they drove to the beach. He had hoped that doing this would help relieve some of the guilt that had built up inside him, but it didn't do any good. They walked along the beach, talking quietly and listening to the seagull flying overhead.

When Sydney grew tired, they went home.

Michael lay in their bed, gazing at his wife. Her left rested protectively on her belly and rose slightly with every breath she took. He lifted his hand and placed it on top of hers, still amazed that there was a child inside her.

His child.

And for one moment, Vaughn let go of his worries. He stopped thinking about Peyton and Lauren and let himself get caught up in the excitement of becoming a father.

His eyes drifted shut, a rare real smile playing across his lips.


End file.
